Songbird
by furryewokazon
Summary: Missing scene form the 'Rumours' episode after Santana fails to show on Brittany's 'Fondue For Two' talk show.


Brittany felt her phone vibrating on the bed nearby and blindly reached for it. She had haphazardly fallen asleep on top of her bed covers and though she'd be admittedly a lot warmer if she was under them, she didn't feel like waking up enough to climb into bed.

With her eyes closed her hand eventually closed around the cold plastic of her cell and she pressed the 'answer' button, bringing it up to her ear.

"Hello," Brittany mumbled sleepily.

"_Brit-Brit it's me,_" Santana's voice spoke gently through the phone to her.

"Mhmm, Santana can you stop hogging the blankets- it's cold," Brittany complained as her sleep-addled brain forgot she was actually on the phone and brought the Santana she was speaking to closer than she really was.

_"Britt- baby… wake up,"_ Santana chuckled softly. _"I'm not in bed with you. I'm talking to you on the phone."_

Brittany opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. It was as the Santana voice had said; she was alone on her bed lying in her dark bedroom. The screen of her phone was lit up with a picture of Santana blowing a kiss at her, signalling that she was in fact talking to Santana on the phone.

"Hello," Brittany said again- far more lucid this time around.

"_Brittany_," Santana said fondly.

A rush of memories came flooding back to Brittany at the sound of her name on her best friend's lips; memories from earlier that evening- of Santana failing to show up for Brittany's talk show 'Fondue For Two' and consequently her rejection of Brittany's prom proposal.

"Sorry Santana but **_'I can't' _**talk right now," Brittany said coldly using Santana's own words against her. She didn't really mean it but she was still hurting inside.

_"Aw Britt please don't be like that_," Santana pleaded. _"Even though I know I deserve it."__  
><em>  
>"Then what do you want?" Brittany asked directly.<p>

_"I wanted to apologise, please come to the window,"_ Santana asked.

Brittany's curiosity got the better of her and she climbed off the bed to stumble over to her window, pushing it open and stepping back with her arms crossed as she waited for Santana to climb in.

When Santana didn't climb in Brittany frowned widely and leaned out the window looking for her friend.

It was hard to see by only the light of the moon and a few streetlights but Brittany could just make out the silhouette of someone standing down below on her front yard. Santana stood patiently holding something large in her arms and bent her neck trying to hold her phone to her ear with her shoulder.

Brittany ran back to her bed and picked up her phone and held it to her ear as she moved back to the window.

"Why aren't you coming up?" Brittany asked quizzically.

_"I didn't think you'd want to see me,"_Santana said sadly… though there was a hint of hope in her voice that she may have been wrong.

"You're right," Brittany agreed decisively. It was hard to stay mad at Santana when she was speaking to her in her 'Brittany' voice but she had to stay strong and not crumble so easily.

_"Oh,"_ Santana sighed in obvious disappointment but recovered quickly_, "Like I said."_

Brittany watched Santana's silhouette and noticed that whatever she was holding in her arms was moving around as though it had a mind of its own. Whatever it was- it was alive.

"What are you- Is that Lord Tubbington?" Brittany asked in shocked realisation.

_"Yeah,"_Santana confirmed as she struggled to keep a firm hold on the fat ball of fluff in her arms.

"I was wondering where he was when he didn't come for his third dinner," Brittany explained voicing her obvious concern for her beloved pet.

_"He's been hanging out with me,"_Santana reassured her and made a show of awkwardly stroking the cat's head even though she wasn't sure Brittany could even see the action.

"But you don't even like each other," Brittany said doubtfully.

_"Nonsense, I love your pussy,_" Santana purred through the phone with a naughty inflection.

"San, I know you're not talking about Lord Tubbington when you say _that_…" Brittany admonished while blushing, though there was a suggestion of humour in her voice.

_"Okay, well let's just say Tubbo and I here have a mutual understanding. We both don't like seeing you sad,"_Santana explained genuinely.

"That's not Lord Tubbington's fault," Brittany reminded her.

_"I know… but he's agreed to help me make it up to you,"_Santana supplied simply.

'Agreed' probably wasn't the most accurate way to describe it considering the way the cat was frantically trying to get free now.

"I think he wants you to let him go," Brittany commented knowingly as she watched the agitated cat wriggle wildly against Santana's hold.

_"I'm going to let him go now,"_ Santana said as she put the cat on the ground. _"When he comes up to your room, go and pick him up."_

Sure enough Lord Tubbington took off as fast as he could away from Santana, waddling across the front lawn and through the cat flap of Brittany's front door. He got stuck trying to squeeze through the small door and for a moment there Santana thought she'd have to go and give him a helpful push, but then he managed all on his own and was gone from sight.

As Brittany's window closed on her, Santana breathed a deep sigh and walked defeated back over to wait in the warmth of her car. She watched as a light flicked on in Brittany's room but was left waiting in pregnant silence until the fat cat climbed the stairway up to be doted over by Brittany.

"Hello Lord Tubbington," Brittany cooed eventually in greeting to the cat as it entered her room and she moved to pick him up. "Okay I've got him."

_"Look around his neck, there's a package attached,"_Santana explained suddenly sounding nervous.

Brittany settled on her bed cuddling her pet in her arms and set him down to untie the string holding the small mystery box in place around Lord Tubbington's neck. Pulling it free Brittany focused on removing the delicate ribbon, leaving Lord Tubbington to curl up in an exhausted ball on the end of her bed.

_"Can you see it?"_Santana pestered impatiently.

"Yeah I'm undoing it now," Brittany fiddled with the ribbon, finally pulling it free and then removed the box's lid.  
>She reached inside and pulled out the small trinket- a silver charm.<p>

"It's a bird," Brittany announced as she identified the charm.

_"It's a _**_songbird_**_,"_Santana corrected her pointedly.

Brittany patted the tiny charm on the head with an affectionate brush of her fingertip.

_"It's for your charm bracelet,"_ Santana continued uncertainly at Brittany's lack of response._"You know- our matching charm bracelets."_

"But we don't wear them anymore," Brittany reminded her. It sounded like an accusation.

_"Well maybe we should,"_ a resounding jingle backed up Santana's words as the girl shook the bracelet on her wrist into the phone. _"Brittany, you're my songbird and I never want you to forget it…"_

When Brittany failed to say anything, Santana took another deep breath and let her apology out;

_"I know I let you down when I didn't come on 'Fondue For Two', but I was scared. And I know I keep saying that but it's true. I really, really wanted- no, I _**_want _**_to say that I can go as your date to the prom, Brittany… but I just can't. I'm not ready for people to know yet. I'm so sorry."_

"You're the only one I want to go to the prom with…" Brittany admitted softly.

_"And you're the only person I really want to go with too,_" Santana echoed choking back a sob at Brittany's honesty.

"Am I really your songbird?" Brittany quirkily asked as she fondly looked over the little treasure balancing in her hand. She couldn't wait to attach it to her bracelet and finally wear it out in public again.

"_Always have been and always will be,_" Santana confirmed proudly- _lovingly._

"San, will you sing it to me again? The 'Songbird' song," Brittany asked as she climbed back in to bed and lay down getting comfortable with her phone resting on the pillow beside her and the "songbird" charm squeezed tightly in her hand.

_"Of course,"_Santana replied.

And so she did; Sitting in her car, parked out the front of Brittany's house, Santana sung her love song for Brittany over and over until she was certain her beautiful best friend had fallen back to sleep.

_"And I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before…"__  
><em>

fin.


End file.
